3-headed TE monster? Ravens' Charlie Kolar, Mark Andrews dominate joint practice with Isaiah Likely injured

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens' two biggest plays of their joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts came from a tight end.

No, it wasn't Mark Andrews leaping up and grabbing a perfectly placed Lamar Jackson throw between linebacker Cameron McGrone and safety Nick Cross on a seam route, coming down with the ball despite a hard hit from Cross and then emphatically giving the first-down point.

And no, it wasn't Isaiah Likely getting behind the defense on a big over route, sprinting across the field, catching a Jackson lob, turning upfield and rumbling down the sideline for an even bigger gain, gobbling up yards before finally going out of bounds just short of the goal line.

It was Charlie Kolar.

"Awesome, man," Jackson said after practice with a smile. "Charlie is getting a great feel for the game. He's looking like a little Mark and a little Isaiah out there, in his own way. He's coming along great."

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Kolar is getting extended run with the first team as Likely misses time with a small foot fracture. Likely could be back for a Week 1 showdown against the Buffalo Bills -- his six-week recovery timeline diagnosis came just about six weeks ahead of the season opener -- but if he's not, Kolar is showing he can fill in the void -- and not just in the passing game,

"Charlie came in as a receiver," head coach John Harbaugh said. "That's the interesting thing. And I do think he's grown as a receiver, also, but probably his biggest growth came as a blocker. He never blocked, I don't think -- maybe one time -- at Iowa State. Now, he's kind of known as a blocker, and yet he had two or three big, huge, passing play catches today."

Kolar's improvement is important for the Ravens in particular. Baltimore had two tight ends on the field for 45% of its offensive plays last year, the highest rate in the NFL by a wide margin; no other team eclipsed even 40%. And the Ravens ask a lot of their tight ends, too. Last season, Andrews finished fourth among tight ends in Pro Football Focus' blockings grades, with Likely 14th and Kolar 19th (min. 100 blocking snaps). If you can't block for one of the league's most run-heavy teams, one that features both Jackson and Derrick Henry, you can't play.

"I think Charlie is one of the smartest players that I've been around," tight ends coach George Godsey said last week. "He knows everybody's responsibility. He knows what play is next on [offensive coordinator Todd] Monken's sheet. He has a very good intuition, defensively, of what's going on. So, we put a lot of pressure on him to go out there, react and to play fast, too. So, he's putting that all together."

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Andrews continued his strong start to training camp, too. After leading all tight ends with 11 touchdown receptions in 2024, Andrews showed his red zone prowess against the Colts, breaking away from safety Camryn Bynum and snagging a Jackson pass while going to the ground.

Andrews has been Jackson's favorite target during camp, showing his ability to find soft spots against zone coverage or using his body to break away and box out defenders in man coverage. He's also shown strong fight after the catch, running with purpose after every reception, even without any live tackling.

"I believe his feel for the game [helps him in the red zone]," Jackson said. "His feel for where he is on the field and the routes we have going on. He got a great eye for the defense."

Perhaps the most symbolic part of practice came all the way at the beginning, though, in simple one-on-one drills, when Kolar reeled in a ball from third-string quarterback Devin Leary.

"Yeah, Charlie!" emanated from off the practice field, cutting above the noise. The source? Likely, beaming as he watched from the facility. The Ravens certainly can't wait to have him back. But for now, they're showing they have plenty at the tight end spot without him, too.